Mechanical tuning device for hawaiian guitar



PF, w53 v P. PAULSEN 2982396@ MECHANICAL TUNING DEVICE FOR HAWAIIAN GUITAR Filed Jan. 5l, 1955 JNVENTOR. fom/L Phu/5.5M

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uUnited States Patent MECHANICAL TUNING DEVICE FOR HAWAIIAN GUITAR Paul Paulsen, Phoenix, Ariz.

Application January 31, 1955, Serial No. 484,987

2 Claims. (Cl. 84-312) This invention pertains to improvements in tuning devices for musical instruments and is particularly directed to an improved mechanical tuning device for Hawaiian guitars and the like.

One of the objects of this invention is to make available to the player the instant change-over to different types of tunings conventionally used for Hawaiian guitars without skill or practice being required upon the part of the player of the instrument.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a Hawaiian guitar structure having a mechanical tuning device built therein which is simple to operate and accurate and precise in maintaining the proper tuning of the instrument.

Still another object of this invention is to provide an improved mechanical selective tuning system and apparatus for a Hawaiian guitar in which tine basic tuning adjustments are made at one end of the instrument while the automatic mechanical selection of various tunings can he obtained at the other end of the instrument.

A still further object of this invention is to provide an improved mechanical preselecting tuning mechanism for a Hawaiian guitar in which a cylindrical cam is formed with a series of tuning frequencies and which may be rotated to a series of detent stopped positions for automatically selecting each desired form of tuning for the guitar.`

Further features and advantages of this invention will appear from a detailed description of the drawings in which:

Fig. l is a plan view of a Hawaiian guitar incorporating the features of this invention.

Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2 2 of Fig. l.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary section on the line 4 4 of Fig. 3.

As exemplary of one embodiment of this invention there is shown a Hawaiian guitar having a stock i to the base end of which is fixed the housing 11. In this housing is pivotally mounted on a suitable pin 12 a series of six individual tuning fingers 13, 14, 15', 16, i7 and 18 which have lower clevis portions 19 which are engaged by the individual tuning screws 20, 21, 22, 23, 24 and 25 mounted in suitable threaded bores 26 in the housing 11. The upper ends of the tuning fingers 13 to 1S inclusive are provided with hooked and slotted ends 27 to which the individual strings 28, 29, 30, 31, 32 and 33 are attached.

The strings pass up over the bridge 34 which comprises the support piece 35 rigidly secured to the housing 11 and a pin 36 upon which is journaled a series of axially spaced grooved rollers 36a supporting the strings of the instrument for friction-free stretching movement. At the opposite end of the stock there is mounted a tuning control housing 37 upon which is carried a second string supporting bridge 38 comprising the support piece 39 refice and a pin 4G upon which is journaled a series of axially spaced grooved rollers 41 supporting the strings 28 to 33 inclusive of the instrument for friction-free stretching movement. The support piece 38 is adjustably mounted on the surface 42 of the tuning control housing 37 for longitudinal movement relative to the strings by suitable adjusting screws 43 threaded half in the surface 42 and in the second bridge 38 as best shown in Fig. 4. This relative adjustment of the second bridge relative to the first bridge 34 provides the means for final over-all fine tuning and adjustment of the instrument.

In the tuning control housing 37 is formed a series of slots 44 through which passes the pivot pin 45 upon which is pivotally mounted the lower ends of the cam lingers 46, 47, 48, 49, 5d and 51 which iit snugly in the slots 44. The upper ends of the cam fingers are slotted and have hooked ends 52 to which the ends ot the strings are attached.

Intermediate the pin 45 and the upper hooked ends 52 of the cam fingers and between the second adjustable bridge 38 and these cam fingers is formed a transverse bore 53 in the ends of which are supported suitable antifriction bearings 54 and 55 in which is journaled the tuning bar 56 on the end portions 57 and 5S. Adjacent each of these bearings is provided a spring urged detent ball 59 which engages notched portions 60 on the tuning bar 56 to automatically position the bar in rotary positions corresponding to each desired preselected tuning condition.

Between these notched detent portions 6d of the tuning bar there is formed a series of cam surfaces 6i, 62, 63, 64, and 66 each of Which series comprises a group of segmental cam lands 68, 69, 7d, 71, 72 and i3 of difi'ering radial heights corresponding in number to the required tunings, which abuttingly engage the surface 74 of the cam fingers 46 to 51 inclusive. A suitable knurled wheel 75 attached to the tuning bar 56 provides means for selecting each desired rotary tuning position for the instrument. In certain conditions the E string 28 does not change for the various tunings so that the cam portion 61 of the tuning bar will be circular and of equal height.

While the apparatus herein disclosed and described L. constitutes a preferred form of the invention, it is also to claims are intended to be included herein.

Havig thus fully set forth and described this invention what is claimed and desired to obtained by United States Letters patent is:

1. In a change-over tuning control device for a Hawaiian guitar having, a stock, and a tuning control housing fixed to one end of said stock, having a series of transversely spaced vertically disposed slots formed therein extending longitudinally relative to said stock, a series of vertically positioned cam fingers swinging in said slots and pivotally mounted at their lower ends on said housing, hooked ends formed on the upper ends of said cam ngers adapted to receive the ends of the strings of said guitar, a rotatable tuning bar journaled in said housing to rotate about a transverse horizontal axis relative to said stock and located intermediate the ends of said cam fingers, a series of axially and circumferentially spaced segmental cam lands on the periphery of said tuning bar adapted to engage outwardly disposed abutment surfaces on said cam fingers by engagement of said cam lands in opposition to the swinging forces applied to said fingers by said strings, and means on said tuning bar for manes ually rotating said tuning bar to desired selected positions of tuning.

2. In a change-over tuning control device as set forth in claim 1 wherein a spring urged detent means is siidably mounted in said housing to yieidingiy rotatably position said tuning bar in said housing.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 490,528 Wooster Jan. 24, 1893 FOREIGN PATENTS Austria Aug. 10, 1934 

